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Since you're arguing semantics, I think you meant the prefix Giga existed before computers. The notion of a "byte" did not exist "long before computers were around."
Nevertheless, I stand by my previous statement. It's to the benefit of hard drive manufacturers to use SI base 10 notation because it allows them to advertise a seemingly "larger" and simpler (lots of nice 0's) number in their marketing. It's been their practice long before the IEC defined Gibi, hence why I called it sleazy.
Apple in Snow Leopard switched to base 10, but until Microsoft, RIM, and most everyone else in the computer software world switches, you'll still have confusion like the OP experienced.01-09-10 07:27 PM - Ahhhh, yes you are correct, on how long Giga has been around... My bad!!!!Since you're arguing semantics, I think you meant the prefix Giga existed before computers. The notion of a "byte" did not exist "long before computers were around."
Nevertheless, I stand by my previous statement. It's to the benefit of hard drive manufacturers to use SI base 10 notation because it allows them to advertise a seemingly "larger" and simpler (lots of nice 0's) number in their marketing. It's been their practice long before the IEC defined Gibi, hence why I called it sleazy.
Apple in Snow Leopard switched to base 10, but until Microsoft, RIM, and most everyone else in the computer software world switches, you'll still have confusion like the OP experienced.
Mostly the drive specs on packaging is driven by the Marketing folks, who have to pass it by legal, who enforces that Scientific Giga = 1,000,000,000.
I agree that either the manufacturers/software vendors need to update their software to use base 10 math, or they need to update it, to show the capacity using the GiB, TiB, prefixes.01-09-10 08:15 PM
